Method of producing a semiconductor device using a reticle having a polygonal shaped hole

ABSTRACT

A method of producing a semiconductor device includes the steps of (a) preparing a substrate having a semiconductor element formed in a predetermined region of a surface of the substrate, (b) forming a first layer on the substrate, where the first layer is made of silicon oxide including at least one of boron and phosphor, (c) forming a second layer on a surface of the first layer, where the second layer is made of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon nitride and silicon oxide nitride, (d) coating a resist layer on the entire surface of the substrate, (e) exposing and developing a predetermined region of the resist layer using a reticle having a first opening so as to form a second opening in the resist layer, where the first opening has a polygonal shape having n corners respectively having obtuse angles and n is a natural number satisfying n≧5, and (f) etching the second and first layers via the second opening.

This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of a U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 031,183 entitled "SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHODOF PRODUCING THE SAME" filed Mar. 12, 1993, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices andmethod of producing the same, and more particularly to a semiconductordevice having a stacked structure made up of conductor and insulatorlayers such as a stacked type capacitor, and to a method of producingsuch a semiconductor device.

Recently, in DRAMs which have become important in information processingsystems such as computers, the formation of a capacitor having a largestorage capacitance has become an important problem to be solved.However, as the size of the DRAM decreases with higher integrationdensity, the area of one cell inevitably decreases. For this reason,three dimensional cells such as the stacked type capacitor and thetrench type capacitor have been proposed for the purpose of securing asufficient storage capacitance within a limited area. A fin typecapacitor which is a kind of stacked type capacitor seems promising inthat a storage capacitor of a large capacity DRAM having a memorycapacity of 16M or greater can be realized. For example, the fin typecapacitor is proposed in IEDM Technical Digest, 1988, p.592.

FIG. 1 (A) through (C) are diagrams explaining the construction of aconventional fin type capacitor.

In FIG. 1, there are shown a semiconductor substrate 21, a LOCOS oxidelayer 22, a gate oxide layer 23, a gate electrode (word line) 24, asource region 25, a drain region 26, a word line 27 of another cell, aninterlayer insulator 28, fin type storage electrodes 29-1, 29-2 and29-3, a dielectric layer 30, and an opposing electrode 31.

FIG. 1 (A) shows the construction of one cell of a DRAM having a fintype capacitor which has one fin type storage electrode.

In this DRAM, the LOGOS oxide layer 22 which sections an element formingregion is formed on the semiconductor substrate 21, and the gate oxidelayer 23 is formed on this element forming region, as shown in FIG. 1(A). The gate electrode 24 which becomes the word line is formed on thegate oxide layer 23, and the word line 27 of the other cell is formed onthe LOGOS oxide layer 22. The source region 25 and the drain region 26are formed in self-alignment to the gate electrode 24, and theinterlayer insulator 28 is formed thereon. One fin type storageelectrode 29-1 is formed at an opening which is formed above the drainregion 26. The dielectric layer 30 is formed on the surface of the fintype storage electrode 29-1, and the opposing electrode 31 is formed incontact with the dielectric layer 30.

When the fin type capacitor having this fin type storage electrode isused, it is possible to form a capacitance at the top and bottomsurfaces of the fin type storage electrode, thereby making it possibleto obtain a large storage capacitance with the limited area occupied bythe cell.

FIG. 1 (B) shows the construction of a fin type capacitor having two fintype storage electrodes, and FIG. 1 (C) shows the construction of a fintype capacitor having three fin type storage electrodes. As shown inthese figures, it is possible to increase the number of fin type storageelectrodes to two (29-1, 29-2), three (29-1, 29-2, 29-3), . . . Hence,it is possible to obtain a sufficient storage capacitance even if thecell area becomes small due to the high integration density.

In FIG. 1 (A), (B) and (C), the illustration of the bit line is omitted.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a DRAM having the conventional fin typecapacitor.

In FIG. 2, there are shown word lines 44 and 47, a first opening 49, abit line 50, a second opening 55, and a second polysilicon layer 56.

The cell structure of this DRAM will be described in conjunction withthe production method with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, but the bit line50 extends in a horizontal direction and the word lines 44 and 47 extendin a vertical direction. A rectangular region indicated by a dotted lineshows one cell of the DRAM. Lines X-X', Y-Y' and Z-Z' in FIG. 2 showsparts where the cross sections are taken in the cross sectional viewswhich will be described later.

FIG. 3 (A) through (E) and FIG. 4 (A) through (C) are diagrams forexplaining the processes of producing the DRAM having the conventionalfin type capacitor.

In these figures, there are shown a semiconductor substrate 41, a LOCOSoxide layer 42, a gate oxide layer 43, a gate electrode 44, a sourceregion 45, a drain region 46, a word line 47 of another cell, aninterlayer insulator 48, a first opening 49, a bit line 50, a Si₃ N₄layer 51, a first SiO₂ layer 52, a first polysilicon layer 53, a secondSiO₂ layer 54, a second opening 55, a second polysilicon layer 56, adielectric layer 57, and an opposing electrode 58.

A description will be given of the conventional method of producing thefin type capacitor having two fins, with reference to these explanatorydiagrams. These explanatory diagrams show the cross section along theline X-X' in FIG. 2 which shows the plan view of a part of the DRAM.

First Process (Refer to FIG. 3 (A)):

The surface of the p-type semiconductor substrate 41 is thermallyoxidized to form the LOCOS oxide layer 42 which sections the elementregion. The gate oxide layer 43 is formed on this element region by athermal oxidation, and a polysilicon layer is formed thereon by a CVD.The polysilicon layer is patterned to form the gate electrode 44 whichalso becomes the word line, and the source region 45 and the drainregion 46 are formed in self-alignment to the gate electrode 44. Inaddition, the word line 47 of the other cell is formed on the LOCOSoxide layer 42 at the same time as the gate electrode 44.

Second Process (Refer to FIG. 3 (B)):

The interlayer insulator 48 which is made up of SiO₂ is deposited by CVDto cover the entire surface, and the first opening 49 is provided at thecontact part of the bit line.

Third Process (Refer to FIG. 3 (C)):

A stacked layer of polysilicon layer and tungsten silicide (WSi) isdeposited by CVD on the entire surface including the first opening 49.This stacked layer is patterned to form the bit line 50 which isconnected to the source region 45 within the first opening 49.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG. 3 (D)):

The Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the first SiO₂ layer 52, the first polysiliconlayer 53, and the second SiO₂ layer 54 are successively depositedthereon by CVD.

Fifth Process (Refer to FIG. 3 (E)):

The second SiO₂ layer 54, the first polysilicon layer 53, the first SiO₂layer 52, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the interlayer insulator 48, and the gateoxide layer 43 on the drain region 46 are etched using the same resistmask, so as to form the second opening 55 at the storage electrodecontact part.

Sixth Process (Refer to FIG. 4 (A)):

The second polysilicon layer 56 is formed by CVD on the entire surfaceincluding the second opening 55. Then, the second polysilicon layer 56,the second SiO₂ layer 54 and the first polysilicon layer 53 aresuccessively etched to pattern the same to a predetermined shape.

Seventh Process (Refer to FIG. 4 (B)):

The second SiO₂ layer 54 and the first SiO₂ layer 52 are etched by anisotropic wet etching using a HF solution, so as to form fin typestorage electrodes made up of the first and second polysilicon layers 53and 56. The Si₃ N₄ layer 51 acts as a stopper with respect to theetching using HF (hydrofluoric acid).

Eighth Process (Refer to FIG. 4 (C)):

The dielectric layer 57 is formed on the surfaces of the fin typestorage electrodes which are made up of the first and second polysiliconlayers 53 and 56, and a polysilicon layer is deposited by CVD to formthe opposing electrode 58 and complete the fin type capacitor cell.

Thereafter, a BPSG layer is formed by a normal process, and thenecessary aluminum wiring is made thereon.

However, according to the conventional method described above, thefollowing problems are generated.

1. A short-circuit may occur between the conductor layers.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the process of patterning the storageelectrode by the conventional method. FIG. 5 shows the cross sectionalong the line Z-Z' in FIG. 2. In FIG. 5, there are shown thesemiconductor substrate 41, the LOCOS oxide layer 42, the interlayerinsulator 48, the bit line 50, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the first SiO₂ layer52, the first polysilicon layer 53, the second SiO₂ layer 54, and thesecond polysilicon layer 56.

FIG. 5 (A) shows a stage where the LOCOS oxide layer 42 is formed on thesemiconductor layer 41, the interlayer insulator 48 is formed, the bitline 50 is formed, and the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the first SiO₂ layer 52, thefirst polysilicon layer 53, the second SiO₂ layer 54 and the secondpolysilicon layer 56 are formed thereon.

FIG. 5 (B) shows a state where the uppermost second polysilicon layer 56is removed. Since this figure is the cross section along the line Z-Z'in FIG. 2, the second polysilicon layer 56 is to be eliminatedcompletely. However, since the second polysilicon layer 56 includes astepped part, the second polysilicon layer 56 partially remains on thesidewall portion of the stepped part.

FIG. 5 (C) shows a state where the first polysilicon layer 53 isremoved. In this case, since the first polysilicon layer 53 includes astepped part, the first polysilicon layer 53 partially remains at thesidewall portion of the stepped part.

If the second polysilicon layer 56 or the first polysilicon layer 53remains, there is a possibility of the adjacent storage electrodesbecoming short-circuited by the etching residue of the polysilicon whichis lifted off when the SiO₂ layers 52 and 54 and the like are removed atthe subsequent processes.

In order to eliminate the above described etching residue, the etchingtime is normally made longer when etching the polysilicon by RIE, so asto make the so-called over-etching. However, if the over-etching isexcessively made, too much of the flat portion becomes etched and theunderlayer will be damaged. On the other hand, the etching is normallymade using a resist mask which is patterned, and there is also a problemin that the resist will not be usable as a mask if the resist is damagedby the over-etching. Furthermore, the so-called etching shift in whichthe line width becomes narrow will occur when the over-etching is made,and there is still another problem in that the obtained pattern becomessmaller than the desired pattern.

On the other hand, the etching time naturally increases when theover-etching is made, and the production cost of the semiconductordevice is increase thereby. In addition, when forming the fin typecapacitor having a plurality of fins, it is necessary to alternatelymake the selective etching of the conductor layer and the insulatorlayer, and the total etching time is considerably increased when theover-etching is made because the number of etching processes is quitelarge to start with.

2. The thickness of the photoresist layer will become non-uniform.

FIG. 6 (A) and (B) is a diagram for explaining the conventionalphotolithography process for forming a contact hole. In this figure,there are shown the semiconductor substrate 41, the LOCOS oxide layer42, the gate oxide layer 43, the gate electrode 44, the source region45, the drain region 46, the word line 47 of the other cell, theinterlayer insulator 48, the first opening 49, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, thefirst SiO₂ layer 52, the first polysilicon layer 53, the second SiO₂layer 54, a photoresist layer 59, and a photomask 60.

FIG. 6 (A) shows the cross section along the line X-X' in FIG. 2. TheLOCOS oxide layer 42 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 41, thegate oxide layer 43 is formed, and the gate electrode 44 and the wordline 47 of the other cell are formed. Then, the interlayer insulator 48is formed, and the bit line 50 is formed. The Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the firstSiO₂ layer 52, the first polysilicon layer 53, the second SiO₂ layer 54,and the second polysilicon layer 58 are formed thereon. The photoresistlayer 59 is formed on top, and an exposure is made using the photomask60.

FIG. 6 (B) shows the cross section along the line Y-Y' in FIG. 2. TheLOCOS oxide layer 42 is formed on the semiconductor layer 41, the gateoxide layer 43 and the interlayer insulator 48 are formed, and the bitline 50 is formed. Then, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the first SiO₂ layer 52,the first polysilicon layer 53, and the second SiO₂ layer 54 are formedthereon. The photoresist layer 59 is formed on top, and an exposure ismade using the photomask 60.

Hence, according to the conventional process of producing the fin typestorage electrode, the second SiO₂ layer 54, the first polysilicon layer53, the first SiO₂ layer 52, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51, the interlayerinsulator 48 and the gate oxide layer 43 are etched by thephotolithography technique to form the opening which is used to form thefin type storage electrode. But since a stepped part exists on thesurface of the uppermost second SiO₂ layer 54 when forming this opening,the thickness of the photoresist layer 59 which is spin-coated on theuppermost second SiO₂ layer 54 becomes extremely non-uniform. As aresult, it is difficult to accurately form a fine contact opening, andthere is a problem in that the production yield is deteriorated thereby.

3. A disconnection easily occurs at the contact hole.

In FIG. 4 (B), when forming the fin type storage electrodes made up ofthe first and second polysilicon layers 53 and 56, the isotropic etchingusing the HF solution is made to remove the SiO₂ layers 54 and 52. Whenmaking this isotropic etching, the Si₃ N₄ layer 51 which isolates thebit line 50 acts as a stopper (mask) with respect to the HF solution,and the etching of the bit line 50 will not occur even if submerged inthe HF solution. However, the existence of the Si₃ N₄ layer 51introduces a problem shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a peripheral circuit part of theconventional memory described in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG.7, those parts which are the same as those corresponding parts in FIGS.3 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and a descriptionthereof will be omitted. In FIG. 7, there are shown an impuritydiffusion layer 37, a BPSG layer 38, and an Al layer 39.

When a contact hole shown in FIG. 7 (A) is formed and the Al layer 39 isformed thereafter, it is necessary to stabilize the contact resistancebetween the impurity diffusion layer 37 and the Al layer 39. Normally, apre-process is made using a solution of the HF system before forming theAl layer 39, so as to remove the natural oxide layer on the impuritydiffusion layer 37.

However, if such a pre-process is made, the BPSG layer 38 and the SiO₂layer 48 will recede by being etched by the HF solution, but the Si₃ N₄will not be etched. As a result, only the Si₃ N₄ layer 51 projectswithin the contact hole as shown in FIG. 7 (B).

When the Al layer 39 is formed by sputtering over a contact hole havingsuch a shape, there is a problem in that a disconnection of the Al layer39 easily occurs at a part A as shown in FIG. 7 (C).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea novel and useful semiconductor device and method of producing thesame, in which the problems described above are eliminated.

Another and more specific object of the present invention is to providea semiconductor device comprising a substrate having a top surface, anda fin type capacitor having a first electrode including a first partwhich extends upwards from the substrate and a second part which extendsapproximately parallel to the top surface of the substrate from thefirst part, where the second part is made up of at least one conductorlayer.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method ofproducing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of forming above asubstrate surface a first insulator layer which has a surfaceapproximately parallel to the substrate surface, alternately forming afirst conductor layer and a second insulator layer at least once,forming a contact hole which reaches the substrate by penetrating eachsecond insulator layer, each first conductor layer and the firstinsulator, forming a second conductor layer on an uppermost secondinsulator layer and on a surface of the contact hole, and patterning thesecond and first conductor layers to a predetermined shape. According tothe present invention, there is no possibility of a conductor layerremaining at the stepped part when patterning the conductor layer andshort-circuiting the adjacent storage electrodes. In addition, since theunderlayer of the photoresist layer is flat, the photoresist layer canbe coated uniformly, thereby stabilizing the photolithography processand realizing a high production yield. Further, by forming the uppermostfin of the storage electrode so as not to have undulations, the processof forming the contact hole is facilitated. In addition, it becomespossible to completely etch the conductor layer at the time of thepatterning, thereby preventing the short-circuit of the adjacent storageelectrodes. In addition, by employing a structure which includes nonitride layer at the contact hole part, it is possible to prevent adisconnection of the second conductor layer within the contact hole.Accordingly, it is possible to stably produce a fine fin type capacitorcell with improved reliability and yield.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method ofproducing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of (a)forming afirst insulator layer above a substrate surface, (b) alternately forminga first conductor layer and a second insulator layer at least once, (c)forming a contact hole which reaches the substrate by penetrating eachsecond insulator layer and each first conductor layer, (d) forming asecond conductor layer on an uppermost second insulator layer and on asurface of the contact hole, and (e) patterning the second and firstconductor layers, where at least one of the steps (c) and (e)continuously etches at least the second insulator layer and the firstinsulator layer under a condition such that each layer is etched atapproximately the same etching speed. According to the presentinvention, it is possible to greatly reduce the number of productionprocesses.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method ofproducing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of (a) preparing asubstrate having a semiconductor element formed in a predeterminedregion of a surface of the substrate, (b) forming a first layer on thesubstrate, the first layer being made of silicon oxide including atleast one of boron and phosphor, (c) forming a second layer on a surfaceof the first layer, the second layer being made of a material selectedfrom a group consisting of silicon nitride and silicon oxide nitride,(d) coating a resist layer on the entire surface of the substrate, (e)exposing and developing a predetermined region of the resist layer usinga reticle having a first opening so as to form a second opening in theresist layer, the first opening having a polygonal shape having ncorners respectively having obtuse angles, where n is a natural numbersatisfying n≧5, and (f) etching the second and first layers via thesecond opening. According to the method of the present invention, it ispossible to prevent the generation of cracks in the silicon nitridelayer or the silicon oxide nitride layer that is formed on the surfaceof the BPSG layer or the like. As a result, it is possible to improveboth the reliability and production yield of the semiconductor device.

It is possible to smoothen the corner portions of the opening of thethrough hole that is formed in the SiN layer and the silicon oxide layer(BPSG layer) including at least one of boron and phosphor, by making thecorresponding reticle pattern have a polygonal shape having n obtuseangled corner portions, where n≧5. As a result, it is possible toprevent the stress that is generated in the SiN layer from beingconcentrated at the corner portions. Since the concentration of thestress at the corner portions can be prevented, it is possible tosuppress the generation of the cracks.

The opening of the target mark for alignment formed in the dicing regionof the wafer or the opening of the test pattern formed within the chipnormally has a size of approximately several tens of μm. The cornerportions of the opening of such a through hole that is relatively largeare clearly formed by photolithography. Accordingly, smoothing thecorner portions of the opening of the target mark or test pattern isparticularly effective for the purpose of preventing the generation ofthe cracks.

Of course, the generation of the cracks can be effectively prevented bysmoothing the corner portions of the through holes which are other thanthe target mark and the test pattern, exist within the chip or thedicing region, and has a size of several μm or greater.

When the thickness of the silicon nitride layer or the silicon oxidenitride layer (SiN layer) formed on the surface of the BPSG layer is 30nm or less, it is possible to prevent the generation of the cracks inthe SiN layer that would occur at the interface of the two layers due tostress. In addition, by setting the thickness of the SiN layer greaterthan the thickness of a certain layer that is formed on the SiN layerand is etched by the etchant within an etching time of this certainlayer, it becomes possible to use the SiN layer as an etching stopper.

It is possible to form a fin type electrode by forming a conductor layeron the SiN layer and another layer having an etching resistancedifferent from that of the conductor layer so as to form a stackedstructure, and removing the other layer after patterning the stackedstructure.

In a case where the shape of the fin type electrode in the plan view hasa parallelogram shape having a contact hole opening at the center of theparallelogram shape, the etching time of the other layer is set to atime required to etch a thickness corresponding to the length of aperpendicular drawn from the center to the longer side of theparallelogram shape.

When a dielectric layer is formed on the surface of the fin typeelectrode and an opposing electrode is provided, it is possible torealize a capacitor having a large storage capacity.

It is possible to form a memory cell of a DRAM by connecting the fintype electrode to one of the source and drain regions of the MOSFET.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide asemiconductor device comprising a substrate having a surface and asemiconductor element formed in a predetermined region of the surface, afirst layer, formed on the surface of the substrate, having a surfaceand made of silicon oxide including a material selected from a groupconsisting of boron and phosphor, a second layer, formed on the surfaceof the first layer, made of a material selected from a group consistingof silicon nitride and silicon oxide nitride, a first hole penetratingthe first and second layers and reaching the surface of the substrate,and a second hole penetrating the first and second layers, where thesecond hole is larger than the first hole and has inner peripheral edgeswith smoothened corner portions. According to the semiconductor deviceof the present invention, it is possible to prevent the generation ofcracks in the silicon nitride layer or the silicon oxide nitride layerthat is formed on the surface of the BPSG layer or the like. As aresult, it is possible to improve both the reliability and productionyield of the semiconductor device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a reticlecomprising a substrate, a rectangular pattern formed in the substrateand having a side with a first length, a polygonal pattern formed in thesubstrate and containing an imaginary circle having a diameter with asecond length that is greater than the first length, where the polygonalpattern has n corners respectively having obtuse angles, and n is anatural number satisfying n≧5. According to the reticle of the presentinvention, it is possible to prevent the generation of cracks in thesilicon nitride layer or the silicon oxide nitride layer that is formedon the surface of the BPSG layer or the like. As a result, it ispossible to improve both the reliability and production yield of thesemiconductor device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method ofproducing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of (a) preparing asubstrate having a semiconductor element formed in a predeterminedregion of a surface of the substrate, (b) forming a first layer on asurface of the substrate, the first layer being made of silicon oxideincluding at least one of boron and phosphor, (c) forming a second layeron a surface of the first layer, the second layer being made of amaterial selected from a group consisting of silicon nitride and siliconoxide nitride, (d) forming a third layer on a surface of the secondlayer, the third layer having an etching resistance different from thatof the second layer, and (e) etching the third layer for a predeterminedtime using a predetermined etchant, where the second layer has athickness less than 30 nm and greater than a thickness of the secondlayer etched by the predetermined etchant in the predetermined time.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide asemiconductor device comprising a substrate having a surface and asemiconductor element formed in a predetermined region of the surface, afirst layer, formed on the surface of the substrate, having a surfaceand made of silicon oxide including a material selected from a groupconsisting of boron and phosphor, a second layer, formed on the surfaceof the first layer, made of a material selected from a group consistingof silicon nitride and silicon oxide nitride, a contact hole penetratingthe first and second layers and reaching the surface of the substrate,and a fin type storage electrode having a first portion formed on aninner surface of the contact hole and a second portion connected to thefirst portion and extending approximately parallel to the second layer.

Other objects and further features of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 in parts (A) through (C) is a cross sectional view for explainingthe construction of a conventional fin type capacitor;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an essential part of a DRAM having theconventional fin type capacitor;

FIG. 3 in parts (A) through (E) and FIG. 4 in parts (A) through (C) arecross sectional views for explaining the process of producing the DRAMhaving the conventional fin type capacitor;

FIG. 5 in parts (A) through (C) is a cross sectional view for explaininga patterning process of a storage electrode according to a conventionalmethod;

FIG. 6 in parts (A) and (B) is a cross sectional view for explaining aphotolithography process of a contact hole according to a conventionalmethod;

FIG. 7 in parts (A) through (C) is a cross sectional view for explaininga disconnection of an Al layer according to a conventional method;

FIG. 8 in parts (A) and (B) is a cross sectional view for explaining theoperating principle of a first embodiment of a method of producing asemiconductor device according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 in parts (A) through (E) and FIG. 10 in parts (A) through (C) arecross sectional views for explaining production processes of first andsecond embodiments of the method of producing the semiconductor deviceaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 11 in parts (A) through (E) is a cross sectional view forexplaining production processes of third and fourth embodiments of themethod of producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 in parts (A) through (E) and FIG. 13 in parts (A) through (C)are cross sectional views for explaining production processes of a fifthembodiment of the method of producing the semiconductor device accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view for explaining a sixth embodiment ofthe method of producing the semiconductor device according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a monitored result of an etching stateobtained by plasma light emission spectrum analysis;

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view for explaining a problem which occurswhen forming a contact hole;

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view for explaining the formation of a finstructure;

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a residual layer on a stepped part;

FIG. 19 is a cross sectional view for explaining an eighth embodiment ofthe method of producing the semiconductor device according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 20A is a cross sectional view showing a DRAM cell;

FIG. 20B is a plan view showing a through hole and a crack;

FIGS. 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and 21E respectively are cross sectional viewsfor explaining a tenth embodiment of the method of producing thesemiconductor device according to the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a memory cell of a DRAM produced by thetenth embodiment of the method;

FIG. 23 is a graph showing a crack generation frequency versus thicknessof a SiN layer;

FIGS. 24A and 24B respectively are plan views showing a reticle patternfor forming a contact hole having a size of approximately 1 μm and apattern exposed on a wafer;

FIGS. 25A and 25B respectively are plan views showing a reticle patternfor forming a through hole having a size of approximately several tensof μm and a pattern exposed on the wafer;

FIGS. 26A and 26B respectively are plan views showing a reticle patternand a pattern exposed on the wafer when producing a DRAM by an eleventhembodiment of the method of producing the semiconductor device accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, showing a corner portionof another reticle pattern used in the eleventh embodiment of themethod;

FIG. 28A is a plan view showing a reticle pattern used in the eleventhembodiment of the method;

FIG. 28B is a plan view showing a pattern of the reticle shown in FIG.28A for forming a contact hole;

FIG. 28C is a plan view showing a pattern of the reticle shown in FIG.28A for forming a test pattern or a target mark;

FIG. 29A is a plan view showing a pattern exposed on the wafer using thereticle pattern shown in FIG. 28A;

FIG. 29B is a plan view showing a contact hole exposed on the wafer;

FIG. 29C is a plan view showing a through hole for testing or for targetmark exposed on the wafer; and

FIG. 30 is a cross sectional view showing a substrate in a vicinity of athrough hole for testing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First, a description will be given of the operating principle of a firstembodiment of a method of producing a semiconductor device according tothe present invention, by referring to FIG. 8.

This embodiment includes a step of forming a first insulator layer on asubstrate, a step of forming a contact opening which penetrates thefirst insulator layer and reaches the substrate, a step of forming afirst conductor layer on the first insulator layer and including theopening, a step of patterning the first conductor layer to apredetermined shape, and a step of removing at least a part of the firstinsulator layer under the first conductor layer, and forms the firstinsulator layer by coating SOG. It is possible to form a semiconductordevice having storage electrodes with two or more fins, by alternatelyforming one or more conductor layers and one or more insulator layersafter the step of forming the first insulator layer on the substrate.

FIG. 8 (A) and (B) is a diagram for explaining the operating principleof this embodiment.

In FIG. 8, there are shown a semiconductor substrate 1, a LOCOS oxidelayer 2, a gate oxide layer 3, a gate electrode 4, a source region 5, adrain region 6, a word line 7, an interlayer insulator 8, a firstopening 9, a bit line 10, a Si₃ N₄ layer 11, a SOG layer 12, a firstpolysilicon layer 13, a second SiO₂ layer 14, a resist layer 19, and aphotomask 20.

FIG.8 (A) shows a cross section along the line X-X' in FIG. 2, and FIG.8 (B) shows the cross section along the line Y-Y' in FIG. 2. AlthoughFIG. 2 shows the plan view of the part of the conventional DRAM, theplan view of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 2.

In this embodiment, the LOCOS oxide layer 2 which sections an elementforming region is formed on the surface of the p-type semiconductorsubstrate 1, and the gate oxide layer 3 is formed on this elementforming region.

Then, the gate electrode 4 made of polysilicon and the word line 7 ofthe other cell are formed on top. The n-type source region 5 and thedrain region 6 are formed in self-alignment to the gate electrode 4.

Next, the interlayer insulator 8 is formed on top, and the bit line 10is formed on the source region 5 which is exposed within the firstopening 9 which is provided at the contact part of the bit line.

The Si₃ N₄ layer 11 is formed on top, and the SOG layer 12 is formedthereon by spin-coating. In addition, the first polysilicon layer 13 andthe second SiO₂ layer 14 are successively deposited thereon.

The photoresist layer 19 is formed on top, and this photoresist layer 19is exposed via a window in the photomask 20. Thereafter, the photoresistlayer 19 is developed, and the exposed region of the photoresist layer19 is removed.

According to these processes, the SOG layer 12 is formed on the surfaceof the Si₃ N₄ layer 11 which has large undulations so as to planarizethe top surface. As a result, the surfaces of the first polysiliconlayer 13 and the second SiO₂ layer 14 which are thereafter successivelydeposited on the SOG layer 12 are also planarized.

For this reason, the photoresist layer 19 is uniformly coated, and thephotolithography process is stabilized. In addition, when patterning thestorage electrodes, there is no possibility of short-circuiting theadjacent storage electrodes by the etching residue of the firstpolysilicon layer 13 or the second polysilicon layer. Therefore, it ispossible to realize a high production yield.

It is possible to form the second oxide layer 14 or an oxide layer whichis formed above the second oxide layer 14 by the SOG. In such cases,effects similar to those described above may be obtained because thesurface of the polysilicon layer which is formed after the SOG oxidelayer is planarized.

SOG was conventionally used as a planarizing material in the productionprocesses of semiconductor devices. However, the insulation resistanceor the like of the SOG was insufficient, and a stable process could notbe realized. In addition, there was a possibility of introducing aproblem in the characteristic of the semiconductor devices afterproduction thereof.

However, in this embodiment, although the SOG is used as the planarizingmaterial, the SOG is removed by the HF at a subsequent stage whenforming the fins. For this reason, such problems will not occur in thisembodiment.

This embodiment has particularly notable effects when applied to themethod of producing the fin type storage electrodes of the capacitor ofthe DRAM, however, it is of course possible to apply this embodiment tothe production of other semiconductor devices.

Next, a more detailed description will be given of this embodiment, byreferring to FIGS. 9 and 10.

FIG. 9 (A) through (E) and FIG. 10 (A) through (C) are diagrams forexplaining the production processes of the first embodiment, and in thisembodiment, the present invention is applied to the method of producingthe DRAM having the fin type capacitor.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, there are shown the semiconductor substrate 1, theLOCOS oxide layer 2, the gate oxide layer 3, the gate electrode 4, thesource region 5, the drain region 6, the word line 7, the interlayerinsulator 8, the first opening 9, the bit line 10, the Si₃ N₄ layer 11,the SOG layer 12, the first polysilicon layer 13, the second SiO₂ layer14, a second opening 15, a second polysilicon layer 16, a dielectriclayer 17, an opposing electrode 18.

The first embodiment of the method of producing the DRAM having the fintype capacitor will be described by referring to these explanatorydiagrams of the production processes.

These explanatory diagrams of the production processes show the crosssection along the line X-X' in FIG. 2 which shows the plan view of thepart of the DRAM. Although FIG. 2 shows the plan view of the part of theconventional DRAM, the plan view in this embodiment is the same as thatshown in FIG. 2.

First Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (A)):

The surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 which is made of p-typesilicon is thermally oxidized to form the LOCOS oxide layer 2 which hasa thickness of 3000 Å and sections the element forming region. The gateoxide layer 3 having a thickness of 100 Å is formed on the elementforming region by thermal oxidation, and a polysilicon layer having athickness of 1500 Å is formed thereon by CVD. The polysilicon layer ispatterned to form the gate electrode 4 which also becomes the word line.The n-type source region 5 and the drain region 6 are formed inself-alignment to the gate electrode 4. In addition, the word line 7 ofthe other cell is formed on the LOCOS oxide layer 3 at the same time asthe gate electrode.

Second Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (B)):

The interlayer insulator 8 which is made of SiO₂ is deposited by CVD toa thickness of 1000 Å, and the first opening 9 is provided at thecontact part of the bit line.

Third Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (C)):

A polysilicon layer having a thickness of 500 Å and a tungsten silicide(WSi) having a thickness of 1000 Å are deposited by CVD on the entiresurface including the first opening 9. The WSi layer and the polysiliconlayer are patterned to form the bit line 10 which connects to the sourceregion 5 which is exposed within the first opening 9.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (D)):

Next, the Si₃ N₄ layer 11 having a thickness of 500 Å is formed on topby CVD. Then, an insulator is spin-coated on the Si₃ N₄ layer 11, so asto form the SOG (Spin-On-Glass) layer 12 which has a thickness of 500 Åat a part corresponding to the first SiO₂ layer (52 of FIG. 6 (D)) ofthe prior art, so as to planarize the surface.

The surface of the SOG layer 12 becomes approximately planar because theSOG layer 12 is spin-coated to a sufficient thickness such that theconductor layer underneath is completely covered thereby. By heating theSOG layer 12 and thermally solidifying the same in the generally knownmanner, the SOG insulator layer having the planar (flat) surface isformed. This SOG insulator layer 12 is etched back by a plasma etching,for example, until it becomes a predetermined thickness.

Further, the first polysilicon layer 13 having a thickness of 500 Å andthe second SiO₂ layer 14 having a thickness of 500 Å are successivelydeposited on the SOG layer 12 by CVD.

Fifth Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (E)):

The second SiO₂ layer 14, the first polysilicon layer 13, the SOG layer12, the Si₃ N₄ layer 11, the interlayer insulator 8 and the gate oxidelayer 3 on the drain region 6 are etched using the same resist mask, soas to form the second opening 15 for the contact part of the storageelectrode.

Sixth Process (Refer to FIG. 10 (A)):

The second polysilicon layer 16 having a thickness of 500 Å is formed byCVD on the entire surface including the second opening 15, and thesecond polysilicon layer 16, the second SiO₂ layer 14 and the firstpolysilicon layer 13 are successively etched to pattern the same to apredetermined shape.

Seventh Process (Refer to FIG. 10 (B)):

The second SiO₂ layer 14 and the SOG layer 12 are etched by an isotropicwet etching using a solution which includes approximately 1%hydrofluoric acid (HF), so as to form the fin type storage electrodeswhich are made up of the first polysilicon layer 13 and the secondpolysilicon layer 16. The Si₃ N₄ layer 11 in this case acts as a stopperwith respect to the HF etching.

Eighth Process (Refer to FIG. 10 (C)):

The dielectric layer 17, which is made up of a stacked layer of a Si₃ N₄layer having a thickness of 50 Å and a silicon oxide layer having athickness of 10 Å, is formed on the surfaces of the fin type storageelectrodes which are made up of the first polysilicon layer 13 and thesecond polysilicon layer 18. The Si₃ N₄ is formed by CVD, and thesilicon oxide layer is formed by thermal oxidation. Thereafter, aconductive polysilicon having a thickness of 1000 Å is formed by CVD toform the opposing electrode 18, and the fin type capacitor cell is thuscompleted.

In this embodiment, the number of fins is two. However, depending on therequired electrostatic capacitance, it is possible to form three fins.In this case, the storage electrodes are formed by forming the secondpolysilicon layer 16 on the second SiO₂ layer 14 in the fourth process,further forming a third SiO₂ layer thereon and forming the secondopening 15, and forming a third polysilicon layer on the entire surfaceincluding the second opening 15.

By repeating similar processes, it is of course possible to form storageelectrodes having four or more fins.

(Second Embodiment)

In the first embodiment described above, the part (52 of FIG. 3 (D))corresponding to the first SiO₂ layer of the prior art is made of theSOG. However, as a modification of the first embodiment, the part (54 ofFIG. 3 (D)) corresponding to the second SiO₂ layer of the prior art,that is, the second SiO₂ layer 14 of the first embodiment, may be formedby the SOG.

According to this embodiment, there is no possibility ofshort-circuiting the adjacent storage electrodes by the polysiliconlayer which remains at the stepped part when patterning the polysiliconlayer. In addition, because the underlayer of the photoresist layer isplanarized, it is possible to uniformly coat the photoresist layer,thereby stabilizing the photolithography process and realizing a highproduction yield.

Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the methodof producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention, by referring to FIGS. 9 and 10. In this embodiment, BPSG isused in place of SOG. In addition, since the first through thirdprocesses shown in FIGS. 9 (A) through (C) are the same as those of thefirst embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG. 9 (D)):

A BPSG layer 12 having a thickness of 1500 Å is formed by CVD on theentire surface of the Si₃ N₄ layer 11. Then, a thermal process iscarried out at 900° C. for 10 minutes, so as to reflow the BPSG layer12. As a result, the BPSG layer 12 which is obtained has a planar (flat)surface which is approximately parallel to the surface (top surface) ofthe substrate 1.

The surface of the BPSG layer 12 is planarized by the reflow process.However, since the BPSG layer 12 is formed sufficiently thick so as toplanarize the stepped part, it is necessary to etch back the BPSG layer12 to a predetermined thickness. For example, a plasma etching is madewith respect to the entire surface of the BPSG layer 12 to make thisetch back. The plasma etching of the BPSG layer 12 is stopped at athickness which covers at least the conductor layer underneath, so as toadjust the BPSG layer 12 to the predetermined thickness.

In addition, the polysilicon layer 13 having a thickness of 500 Å andthe SiO₂ layer 14 having a thickness of 500 Å are successively grown onthe BPSG layer 12 by CVD.

The fifth process (Refer to FIG. 9 (E)) through the eighth process(Refer to FIG. 10 (C)) are the same as those of the first embodimentexcept that the BPSG layer 12 is used in place of the SOG layer, and adescription thereof will be omitted.

Of course, it is possible to use PSG or BSG in place of the BPSG.

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the method ofproducing the semiconductor device according to the present invention,by referring to FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, those parts which are the same asthose corresponding parts in FIGS. 9 and 10 are designated by the samereference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further,the first through third processes are the same as those of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 9 (A) through (C), and a description thereofwill be omitted.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG. 11 (A)):

An oxide layer 70 having a thickness of 300 Å is formed on the entiresurface of the interlayer insulator 8 by CVD. However, this oxide layer70 may be omitted. Thereafter, a BPSG layer 71 having a thickness of1500 Å is formed on the entire surface of the oxide layer 70, and athermal process is carried out at 900° C. for 10 minutes to reflow theBPSG layer 71. As a result, it is possible to obtain the BPSG layer 71which has a planar (flat) surface which is approximately parallel to thesurface (top surface) of the substrate 1. In addition, the Si₃ N₄ layer11 and a SiO₂ layer 72 respectively having a thickness of 500 Å aresuccessively grown on the BPSG layer 71 by CVD.

Fifth Process (Refer to FIG. 11 (B)):

The SiO₂ layer 14, the polysilicon layer 13, the SiO₂ layer 72, the Si₃N₄ layer 11, the BPSG layer 71, the oxide layer 70, the interlayerinsulator 8 and the gate oxide layer 3 on the drain region 6 are etchedusing the same resist mask, so as to form the opening 15 for the contactpart of the storage electrode.

Sixth Process (Refer to FIG. 11 (C)):

The polysilicon layer 16 having a thickness of 500 Å is formed by CVD onthe entire surface including the opening 15. In addition, thepolysilicon layer 16, the SiO₂ layer 14 and the polysilicon layer 13 aresuccessively etched to pattern the same to a predetermined shape.

Seventh Process (Refer to FIG. 11 (D)):

The SiO₂ layers 14 and 72 are removed by an isotropic wet etching usingHF solution, so as to form the fin type storage electrodes which aremade up of the polysilicon layers 16 and 13. The Si₃ N₄ layer 11 acts asthe stopper with respect to the HF etching.

Eighth Process (Refer to FIG. 11 (E)):

The dielectric layer 17, which is made up of a stacked layer of a Si₃ N₄layer having a thickness of 50 Å and a silicon oxide layer having athickness of 10 Å, is formed on the surfaces of the fin type storageelectrodes which are made up of the polysilicon layers 16 and 13. TheSi₃ N₄ layer is formed by CVD, and the silicon oxide layer is formed bythermal oxidation. Thereafter, a conductive polysilicon layer having athickness of 1000 Å is deposited by CVD so as to form the opposingelectrode 18, and the fin type capacitor cell is completed.

When increasing the number of fins so as to increase the capacitance ofthe capacitor., a polysilicon layer and a SiO₂ layer are successivelygrown after forming the SiO₂ layer 14 in the fourth process (FIG. 11(A)) a number of times depending on the desired number of fins.

Next, a description will be given of a fourth embodiment of the methodof producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention, by referring to FIG. 11. In this embodiment, SOG is used inplace of BPSG. In addition, since the first through third processes arethe same as those of the first through third embodiments shown in FIG. 9(A) through (C), a description thereof will be omitted.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG.11 (A)):

Similarly as in the case of the third embodiment, the oxide layer 70having a thickness of 300 Å is formed on the entire surface of theinterlayer insulator 8 by CVD. However, it is not essential that thisoxide layer 70 is provided. Thereafter, the SOG layer 71 having athickness of 500 Å is spin-coated on the entire surface of the oxidelayer 70. In this case, no thermal process is necessary to carry out areflow process as in the case where the BPSG is used.

The processes carried out thereafter are basically the same as those ofthe third embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the SOG which used for the planarization is removedat the end, and no problem will occur although the characteristic of theSOG may be insufficient as an insulator.

Next, a description will be given of a fifth embodiment of the method ofproducing the semiconductor device according to the present invention,by referring to FIGS. 12 and 13. In FIGS. 12 and 13, those parts whichare essentially the same as those corresponding parts in FIGS. 9 and 10are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, FIGS. 12 and 13respectively show the cross section along the line X-X' in FIG. 2 whichshows the plan view of a part of the DRAM. Although FIG. 2 shows theplan view of the part of the conventional DRAM, the plan view in thisembodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 2.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, there are shown a p-type silicon substrate 1, a SiO₂layer 2, a gate oxide (SiO₂) layer 3, n-type diffusion layers 5 and 6,gate electrodes 4 and 7, a SiO₂ layer 8, a conductor layer 10, a SiO₂layer 80, a polyimide layer 81, a polysilicon layer 13, a polyimidelayer 14, a polysilicon layer 16, a storage electrode 85, a dielectriclayer 17, and an opposing electrode 18.

First Process (Refer to FIG. 12 (A)):

The SiO₂ layer 2 which has a thickness of 3000 Å and becomes the fieldinsulator layer is formed on the p-type silicon substrate 1 by a knownLOCOS method. Thereafter, the SiO₂ layer 3 which has a thickness of 100Å and becomes the gate oxide layer is formed on the entire surface bythermal oxidation. Next, a polysilicon layer having a thickness of 1500Å is formed on the entire surface by CVD, and the polysilicon layer isselectively removed by use of a patterned resist mask (not shown) so asto form the gate electrodes 4 and 7. The gate electrodes 4 and 7 becomeword lines.

In addition, arsenic ions (As⁺) are injected into the silicon substrate1 using the gate electrode 4 as a mask. A thermal diffusion is madethereafter so as to form the n⁺ -type impurity diffusion layers 5 and 6.The n⁺ -type impurity diffusion layers 5 and 6 become the source/drainof a transfer transistor.

Second Process (Refer to FIG. 12 (B)):

The SiO₂ layer 8 having a thickness of 1000 Å is formed on the entiresurface by CVD. Then, the SiO₂ layers 3 and 8 are selectively removedusing a patterned resist mask (not shown), so as to form the opening 9.

Third Process (Refer to FIG. 12 (C)):

A polysilicon layer having a thickness of 500 Å and a tungsten silicidelayer having a thickness of 1000 Å are successively formed on the entiresurface by CVD. Then, the polysilicon layer and the tungsten silicidelayer are selectively etched and removed using a patterned resist mask(not shown) so as to form the conductor layer 10 which becomes the bitline.

Fourth Process (Refer to FIG. 12 (D)):

The SiO₂ layer 80 which has a thickness of 500 Å and is used as aninsulator layer is formed on the entire surface by CVD. Thereafter, thepolyimide layer 81 having a thickness of 500 Å is coated on the entiresurface by spin-coating. Next, the polysilicon layer 13 which has athickness of 500 Å and becomes the storage electrode is formed on theentire surface by CVD. In addition, the polyimide layer 14 having athickness of 500 Å is coated on the entire surface by spin-coating.

Fifth Process (Refer to FIG. 12 (E)):

The polyimide layer 14, the polysilicon layer 13, the polyimide layer81, and the SiO₂ layers 80, 8 and 3 are successively and selectivelyetched using a patterned resist mask (not shown), so as to form theopening 15.

Sixth Process (Refer to FIG. 13 (A)):

The polysilicon layer 16 which has a thickness of 500 Å and becomes thestorage electrode is formed on the entire surface by CVD. Then, thepolysilicon layer 16, the polyimide layer 14 and the polysilicon layer13 are successively and selectively etched by an anisotropic etchingusing a patterned resist mask (not shown).

Seventh Process (Refer to FIG. 13 (B)):

By removing the polyimide layers 14 and 81 by plasma ashing within anoxygen atmosphere, the storage electrode 85 having the storage electrodearea of the memory cell three-dimensionally stacked is completed. Inthis state, the SiO₂ layer 80 acts as a mask with respect to the plasmaashing, and will not be removed.

Eighth Process (Refer to FIG. 13 (C)):

A Si₃ N₄ layer having a thickness of 50 Å is formed on the entiresurface by CVD. Then, a SiO₂ layer having a thickness of 20 Å is formedon the entire surface by thermal oxidation, so as to form the dielectriclayer 17. Further, a polysilicon layer which is doped with impurity ionsis formed on the entire surface by CVD, and the opposing electrode 18 isformed by patterning this doped polysilicon layer. Thereafter, the fintype capacitor is completed by carrying processes such as forming theinterlayer insulator and the wiring layer.

In this embodiment, polyimide is used in order to form a fine which doesnot have concavo-convex parts. However, it is possible to use othermaterials such as polymer resins which can be spin-coated, has a highselective etching ratio with respect to polysilicon and oxide layers,and is head resistant so

that it can withstand the high temperature at the time of thermalannealing or the like. In addition, the number of fins is not limited totwo, and may be an arbitrary number.

Furthermore, although this embodiment forms the fin on the n⁺ -typeimpurity diffusion layer 6 which becomes the source/drain of thetransfer transistor, the location of the fin is not limited to thiscase. For example, a draw-out electrode may be provided from the n⁺-type impurity diffusion layers 5 and 6, and the fin may be formed onthe SiO₂ layer 2 which isolates the element.

In addition, it is possible to etch the polysilicon and polyimide by theplasma etching using the same etchant if a mixed gas of chlorine andoxygen is used.

According to this embodiment, the top fin of the storage electrode isformed to a shape which does not include concavo-convex parts. For thisreason, it is possible to facilitate the process of forming the opening.In addition, no short-circuit of the adjacent storage electrodes willoccur when carrying out the patterning process, because it is possibleto completely etch the polysilicon layers. Moreover, since no nitridelayer exists at the contact hole part, the disconnection of the Al layerdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 7 will not occur. Accordingly, it ispossible to stably produce a fine fin type capacitor cell with improvedreliability and yield.

In each of the embodiments described above, the insulator, which formsthe underlayer when forming the polysilicon layer which forms thecapacitor fin, must be flat. However, it is possible to employ thefollowing method, for example, other than the methods using the reflowedBPSG and PSG layers, the BSG layer, the SOG layer and the polyimidelayer.

First, a nitride layer, which forms the underlayer, is formed on theentire surface by CVD. This nitride layer is used as an etching stopperlayer with respect to the solution which is used at a subsequentprocess.

Then, an oxide layer is formed by CVD to a sufficient thickness on theCVD-formed nitride layer surface. At this stage, the surface of theoxide layer still reflects the undulations of the underlayer.

Next, a resist, which has a composition such that the etching rate isapproximately the same as tat of the CVD-formed oxide layer, isspin-coated to a sufficient thickness on the CVD-formed oxide layer, sothat the surface of the resist becomes planar regardless of theundulations of the underlayer. Such a resist is on the market andavailable.

Thereafter, the planar resist surface is uniformly etched back by plasmaetching. In succession, the removal of the resist and the removal of theCVD-formed oxide layer are made, and the etch back of the CVD-formedoxide layer is stopped at an appropriate thickness. As a result, aCVD-formed oxide layer having planar surface and a desired thickness isobtained.

Then, the patterning of the opening, the depositing of the polysiliconoutside the opening are carried out similarly to the above describedembodiments, so that similar effects are obtained as in the abovedescribed embodiments.

In the memory cell of a large scale static random access memory (SRAM),there is a known method of producing a thin film transistor (TFT) whichsandwiches a polysilicon channel by polysilicon gate electrodes by usingthe sidewall contact and efficiently utilizing the area. For example,IEDM Tech. Dig. (1991), p.477 proposes such a method.

Accordingly, in each of the above described embodiments, the method ofetching the stacked layer of silicon oxide and polysilicon layers is notlimited to the semiconductor device having the fin type capacitor, andis also applicable to the method of producing a semiconductor devicehaving the TFT which uses the sidewall contact.

However, in the embodiments, the etching process with respect to thestacked layer which is made up of stacked silicon oxide and polysiliconlayers is carried out by alternately making a silicon oxide layeretching process (having selectivity with respect to the polysiliconlayer) and a polysilicon layer etching process (having selectivity withrespect to the silicon oxide layer). During the etching process withrespect to each layer, it is necessary to make the so-calledover-etching in order to compensate for the thickness distribution ofthe layer and the etching speed distribution and to completely removeeach layer. In addition, an anisotropic etching is used to accuratelytransfer the resist pattern, but an over-etching is also required toremove a residual layer which is generated at the stepped part of theunderlayer structure. For these reasons, the selectivity is necessaryduring the etching process with respect to each layer.

In the fin type capacitor, it is necessary to reduce the cell area andto reduce the area of the storage electrode in the plan view in order toimprove the integration density. For this reason, it is necessary toincrease the number of fins in order to secure a sufficient surface areaof the storage electrode. For example, in the case of a 256 Mbit DRAM,five or more fins are required.

However, according to the production method described above, it requiresfor each fin two CVD processes for forming the polysilicon layer and thesilicon oxide layer, two etching processes for etching the polysiliconlayer and the silicon oxide layer in order to form the contact hole, andtwo etching processes for etching the polysilicon layer and the siliconoxide layer in order to pattern the storage electrode. In other words,the number of required processes increases at a rate of six times thenumber of fins to be provided. As a result, it is difficult to producethe device at a low cost.

In addition, defective parts caused by particles generated at eachprocess accumulates and the yield and the reliability both become pooreras the number of processes increases. This problem may be eliminated toa certain extent by employing a multi-chamber production apparatus whichsuccessively etches the silicon oxide layer in a reaction chamberexclusively therefor and etches the polysilicon layer in a reactionchamber exclusively therefor by transporting the structure under vacuum.But such a multi-chamber production apparatus is extremely large andexpensive, thereby making the production cost still high.

Hence, a description will now be given of embodiments of the method ofproducing the semiconductor device according to the present invention,in which the number of production processes can be reduced considerablyand both the yield and reliability can be improved.

First, a description will be given of a sixth embodiment of the methodof producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention, by referring to FIG. 14. In FIG. 14, those parts which areessentially the same as those corresponding parts in FIGS. 9 and 10 aredesignated by the same reference numerals, and a description thereofwill be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 14, after forming an element isolation structure 2, atransfer transistor, a word line 4 and a bit line on a silicon substrate1, a silicon oxide layer 8 having a thickness of 400 Å and a siliconnitride layer 11 having a thickness of 400 Å are formed by CVD. Inaddition, a silicon oxide layer having a thickness of 300 Å and apolysilicon layer having a thickness of 300 Å are alternately stacked(two times in this embodiment) by CVD to form silicon oxide layers 72and 14 and polysilicon layers 13 and 16. A silicon oxide 19 having athickness of 300 Å is formed thereafter. Then, a resist layer 91 iscoated on the entire surface, and the resist layer 91 is patterned tothe shape of a contact hole. Next, the silicon oxide layers 14 and 72and the polysilicon layers 16 and 13 are etched at approximately thesame speed by RIE using CF₄ as the reactive gas. Light emission of CO ismonitored, and the etching is stopped at a point in time when theetching of the silicon oxide layer 72 progresses to approximatelyone-half.

When the silicon oxide layer is being etched, increased light emissionof CO and the like is observed if the light emission spectral of theetching plasma is analyzed. In addition, decreased light emission of Fis observed when the polysilicon layer is being etched. Accordingly, itis possible to accurately control the amount of etching by making theetching while monitoring the progressed state of the etching as shown inFIG. 15.

In FIG. 15, the ordinate indicates the CO light emission intensity, theabscissa indicates the etching time, a time a indicates the etching timeof the polysilicon layer, and a time h indicates the etching time of thesilicon oxide layer. In addition, a dotted line in FIG. 15 shows a casewhere a stepped part exists at the surface and the area occupied by asloping surface is large. In this case, the change in the CO generationdecreases as the etching progresses as indicated by the dotted line. Forthis reason, it is desirable to make the planarization as in each of theembodiments described above.

Next, an etching process (selective ratio with respect to silicon isapproximately 10) is carried out with respect to the silicon oxide layerusing CF₄ +CHF₃, and an opening 15 which reaches the silicon substrate 1is formed as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 14.

For example, when forming a capacitor having five fins in the abovedescribed manner, this embodiment only requires two processes (formingthe contact hole 15 and patterning the fins) as opposed to nine etchingprocesses which are required if the selective etching is employed, andthe number of production processes can be reduced considerably.

According to the method of etching the stacked layer which is made up ofthe silicon oxide layer and the polysilicon layer under the conditionthat the etching speed of the silicon oxide layer and the etching speedof the polysilicon layer are approximately the same, the contact hole 15may penetrate the thin source/drain diffusion layer 6 of the siliconsubstrate 1 as shown in FIG. 16. In this case, the intended contactcannot be achieved. In FIG. 16, those parts which are the same as thosecorresponding parts in FIG. 14 are designated by the same referencenumerals, and a description thereof will be omitted.

However, the problem of FIG. 18 can positively be prevented by carryingout the etching at the same speed for the silicon oxide and polysiliconlayers of the stacked layer until the etching of the lowermostpolysilicon layer 13 ends, and then selectively etching the siliconoxide layer 72. If the underlayer structure of the region where thecontact hole 15 is to be formed includes a stepped part, it is desirableto continue the etching at the same speed for the silicon oxide andpolysilicon layers of the stacked layer until the lowermost polysiliconlayer 13 is completely removed.

When forming the storage electrode by patterning the stacked layer ofthe silicon oxide layer and the polysilicon layer, a residual layer maybe generated due to the stepped part beneath the stacked layer asindicated by `A` on the left side of FIG. 17. When removing the siliconoxide layer between the fins which form the storage electrode usinghydrofluoric acid, the residual polysilicon layer will lift off andbecome the source of defects. For this reason, it is necessary toeliminate this problem when forming the storage electrode.

In FIG. 17, those parts which are essentially the same as thosecorresponding parts in FIG. 14 are designated by the same referencenumerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. In this case, sincethere are three fins, a polysilicon layer 93 is formed on the siliconoxide layer 19. BL denotes a bit line, and WL denotes a word line.

If a stepped part having an angle θ exists on the underlayer, a residuallayer having a thickness (1/cosθ-1)·T in a direction perpendicular tothe substrate surface is generated at the stepped part as shown in FIG.18 when an anisotropic etching is made to etch the stacked layer havinga total thickness T. If the angle θ is large, the stacked layer of thesilicon oxide layer and the polysilicon layer will remain, and thesilicon oxide layer etching is required in order to remove this residualstacked layer. However, because the stacked layer (generally, thesilicon oxide layer) underneath is already exposed at the flat part,there is a problem in that the underlayer structure will be etched whenetching the silicon oxide layer.

Hence, in a seventh embodiment of the method of producing thesemiconductor device according to the present invention, this problem isovercome by taking the following measures. That is, if the totalthickness of the stacked layer is T and the lowermost polysilicon layerhas a thickness t, the method includes a process of approximatelyplanarizing the structure beneath the stacked layer so that a maximumangle θ of the stepped part satisfies the following formula (1).

    θ<cos.sup.-1 (1-t/T)                                 (1)

By providing this process, the thickness of the residual layer in thedirection perpendicular to the substrate surface becomes less thant/cosθ. In other words, the residual layer is made up solely of thepolysilicon layer, thereby making it possible to easily remove theresidual layer by the polysilicon layer etching process which has a slowetching speed with respect to the silicon oxide layer.

The formula (1) can be derived in the following manner. The verticaldirection component of the thickness of the residual layer generated atthe stepped part is (1/cosθ-1)·T as shown in FIG. 18. In addition, sincethe thickness of the lowermost polysilicon layer is t, its verticaldirection component is t/cosθ.

Here, the object is to make the residual layer generated at the steppedpart be made up solely of the polysilicon layer. Hence the followingshould be satisfied to achieve this object.

    (1/cosθ-1)·T<t/cosθ

The formula (1) is thus obtained by transforming the above as follows.

    (1-cosθ)·T<t

    1-cosθ<t/T

    cosθ>1-t/T

Therefore, θ<cos⁻¹ (1-t/T)

In this embodiment, when forming a fine type capacitor having five finsand in which the thicknesses of the silicon oxide layer and thepolysilicon layer are the same, a planarization is made by coating SOGafter forming the bit line, and the angle θ formed by the surfaceundulation and the substrate surface is made 27° or less. Of course, itis desirable that the angle θ is set even smaller.

Subsequent to forming the contact hole 15 in the sixth embodiment, apolysilicon layer 93 having a thickness of 300 Å is formed by CVD asshown in FIG. 17. In addition, after coating a resist layer 91 on theentire surface, the resist layer 91 is patterned to the shape of thestorage electrode. Then, the resist layer 91 is used as a mask, and thestacked layer which is made up of the silicon oxide layers 19, 14 and 72and the polysilicon layers 93, 16 and 13 is etched by RIE using CF₄.This etching is made until the polysilicon layer 13 at the flat part isjust removed. In this state, there is a possibility that only thepolysilicon layer 13 remains at the stepped part as indicated by `A` onthe left side of FIG. 17. Hence, the residual polysilicon layer isetched by RIE using HBr, for example. As a result, it is possible tocompletely remove the polysilicon layer 13 by maintaining almost all ofthe silicon oxide layer 72 on the silicon nitride layer 11, as indicatedon the right side of FIG. 17.

According to this embodiment, when forming the capacitor having fivefins, only two processes (forming the contact hole 15 and patterning thefins) are required as opposed to nine etching processes which arerequired in the production method using the selective etching, and thenumber of required production processes can be reduced considerably,similarly to the sixth embodiment.

If the planarization using SOG is made, it may affect the metal wiringcontact. For this reason, after forming the opposing electrode of thecapacitor and removing the silicon nitride layer, the SOG may be removedif necessary. In this case, the removal of the SOG is facilitated if theselected SOG has an extremely high etching speed when HF is used. On theother hand, it is possible to select a fine SOG such that the problem ofaffecting the metal wiring contact is avoided.

Next, a description will be given of an eighth embodiment of the methodof producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention.

If the angle θ in the seventh embodiment is relatively large, thesilicon oxide layer 72 on the silicon nitride layer 11 will be etchedwhen the etching is made to remove the residual layer at the steppedpart. For this reason, this embodiment uses a thick silicon oxide layer72 as shown in FIG. 19. In FIG. 19, those parts which are the same asthose corresponding parts in FIG. 17 are designated by the samereference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted.

When forming a capacitor having five fins by forming each of the siliconoxide layers 14 and 19 and the polysilicon layers 13, 16 and 93 to athickness of 300 Å in a case where the angle θ of the stepped part is30°, for example, a silicon oxide layer 72 having a thickness ofapproximately 620 Å is formed on the silicon nitride layer 11 as shownin FIG. 19. This thickness of approximately 620 Å includes a thickness Bof 200 Å required to protect the silicon nitride layer 11, and athickness C of approximately 420 Å which is provided for theover-etching. In this case, (1/cosθ-1)·T≈420 Å because θ=30° and T=2700Å.

Thereafter, the polysilicon layers 13, 16 and 93 respectively having thethickness of 300 Å and the silicon oxide layers 14 and 19 respectivelyhaving the thickness of 300 Å are alternately formed.

When forming the storage electrode, the polysilicon and silicon oxidelayers are etched at the same etching speed by RIE using CF₄ as theetchant gas. The residual later at the stepped part is completelyremoved by carrying out an over-etching amounting to 420 Å after theetching of the last polysilicon layer 13 ends. Since the silicon oxidelayer 72 amounting to 200 Å remains on the silicon nitride layer 11, itis possible to prevent the structure underneath from being damaged by aHF process which is carried thereafter.

In this embodiment, only one process (patterning the fins) is requiredto form the capacitor having five fins as opposed to nine etchingprocesses which are required in the method which uses the selectiveetching, and the number of required production processes can be reducedconsiderably.

Next, a description will be given of a ninth embodiment of the method ofproducing the semiconductor device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, if the angle θ of the stepped part is 35°, forexample, when patterning the storage electrode of the fin typecapacitor, the etching of the polysilicon and silicon oxide layers atthe same etching speed is stopped after etching three polysilicon layersand two silicon oxide layers because the normalized thickness of thestepped part in the vertical direction is 1/(1-cosθ)=5.5. In this state,the silicon oxide layer is exposed at the flat part. Hence, thepolysilicon layer at the stepped part is removed by a polysilicon layeretching process using HBr. It is sufficient that the amount of thepolysilicon layer etching corresponds to one silicon oxide layer.

Next, the etching at the same etching speed is stopped after etching onepolysilicon layer. Finally, a polysilicon layer etching using HBr ismade to remove the polysilicon layer at the stepped part, and theetching process is thereby completed.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number ofetching process to four from nine etching processes which are requiredwhen the selective etching is used.

In the embodiments described above, CF₄ is used as an example of theetchant gas which enables the etching of the polysilicon and siliconoxide layers at the same etching speed. However, it is possible to useother etchant gases as long as the silicon oxide layer and thepolysilicon layer are anisotropically etched at approximately the sameetching speed.

In addition, it is possible to planarize the underlayer by reflowingBPSG or carrying out TEOS/O₃ CVD. Furthermore, the number of fins may beselected depending on the characteristic of the device, and thecombination of the etching conditions may be easily selected within thescope of the present invention.

The HBr plasma etching is explained as an example of the selectiveetching of the polysilicon layer, however, it is possible to use Cl or Fsystem etching. In addition, the selective etching of the silicon oxidelayer is not limited to that using CF₄ +CHF₃, and it is possible to useCF₄ +CH₂ F₂, CF₄ +C₄ F₈ +CH₂ F₂ or the like.

Moreover, although RIE is used for the etching process in the describedembodiments, it is possible to obtain satisfactory results using aprocess carried out under a magnetic field such as ECR.

The method of controlling the amount of etching is not limited tomonitoring the plasma light emission, and other methods such as changingthe pressure, changing the electrode voltage and employing the lightinterference may also be used.

Next, a description will be given of a first embodiment of asemiconductor device according to the present invention.

This first embodiment of the semiconductor device has the structureshown in FIG. 10 (C). In other words, the conductor layers 13 and 16which form the fins of the fin type capacitor respectively extendapproximately parallel to the surface (top surface) of the substrate 1.The shape of the fins are different from that of the prior art shown inFIG. 4 (C), for example. In addition, the thickness of the opposingelectrode 18 under the conductor layer 13 is not constant in thisembodiment, and is thicker towards the contact hole 15. On the otherhand, according to the prior art shown in FIG. 4 (C), the thickness ofthe opposing electrode 58 under the conductor layer 53 is approximatelyconstant.

Second and third embodiments of the semiconductor device according tothe present invention are respectively shown in FIGS. 11 (E) and 13 (C).These embodiments of the semiconductor device also have the fin featuresof the first embodiment of the semiconductor device. In addition, withregard to the third embodiment of the semiconductor device, the featuresof the opposing electrode is also the same as the first embodiment ofthe semiconductor device.

FIG. 20A is a cross sectional view showing the construction of a DRAMemploying a fin type capacitor. In FIG. 20A, a field oxide layer 102 isformed at a predetermined region on the surface of a silicon substrate101, so as to define an active region. A gate electrode 103 is formed inthe active region via a gate insulator layer. A source region 104 and adrain region 105 are self-aligned and formed on both side of the gateelectrode 103.

The gate electrode 103, the source region 104 and the drain region 105are covered by an interlayer insulator layer 106. A bit line 107 isformed is formed at a predetermined region on the interlayer insulatorlayer 106, and this bit line 107 is electrically connected to the sourceregion 104 via a hole provided above the source region 104.

A BPSG layer 108 is formed so as to cover the interlayer insulator layer106 and the bit line 107. The surface of the BPSG layer 108 isplanarized by a reflow process. A SiN layer 109 which functions as anetching stopper is formed on the surface of the BPSG layer 108.

A through hole penetrates the interlayer insulator layer 106, the BPSGlayer 108 and the SiN layer 109 and reaches the surface of the drainregion 105. A fin type storage electrode 114 is formed via this throughhole. An opposing electrode 116 is formed on the surface of the fin typestorage electrode 114 via a dielectric layer 115.

By forming the stacked structure of the fin type capacitor on theplanarized surface of the BPSG layer 108, it is possible to stably carryout the photolithography and etching processes for forming the fin typestorage electrode 14.

However, according to the DRAM having the construction shown in FIG.20A, a crack may be generated in the SiN layer 109.

FIG. 20B is a plan view generally showing the cracks formed in the SiNlayer 109. In FIG. 20B, cracks 121 are generated radially from cornerportions of a through hole 120 which penetrates the interlayer insulatorlayer 106, the BPSG layer 108 and the SiN layer 109 shown in FIG. 20A.As shown in FIG. 20B, the cracks 121 are easily generated particularlyat the corner portions of the through hole 120. These cracks 121deteriorate the reliability of the DRAM and also deteriorate theproduction yield of the DRAM.

Accordingly, a description will now be given of embodiments of thesemiconductor device and the method of producing the same, whereinmeasures are taken to prevent cracks from being generated in a siliconnitride layer or a silicon oxide nitride layer on a silicon oxide layerthat includes at least one of boron and phosphor.

It may be considered that the cracks are generated in the siliconnitride layer formed on the BPSG layer because the BPSG layer melts orsoftens due to a thermal process that is carried out after formation ofthe silicon nitride layer, and stress is generated at an interface ofthe silicon nitride layer and the BPSG layer when the melted or softenedBPSG layer thereafter hardens. It may also be regarded that the cracksare more easily generated at the corner portions of the through holesince the stress is concentrated at the corner portions.

According to the studies made by the present inventors, it was foundthat the frequency at which the cracks are generated in the siliconnitride layer is greatly dependent on the thickness of the siliconnitride layer. In addition, since the cracks are more easily generatedat the corner portions of the through hole, it was regarded that thegeneration of the cracks may be suppressed if the corner portions of thethrough hole are smoothened or rounded.

A description will hereunder be given of a method of forming the siliconnitride layer to a thickness that is suited for the purpose ofpreventing the generation of the cracks in the silicon nitride layer,and a method of smoothing the corner portions of the through hole.

First, a description will be given of a tenth embodiment of the methodof producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention, by referring to FIGS. 21 through 23. In this embodiment ofthe method, the silicon nitride layer is formed to a thickness within arange that is suited for preventing the generation of the cracks in thesilicon nitride layer.

FIGS. 21A through 21E are cross sectional views showing a DRAM atimportant production processes of this embodiment. FIG. 22 is a partialplan view showing the DRAM, and a region surrounded by a two-dot chainline corresponds to 1 memory cell. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a crackgeneration frequency at a through hole portion of a dicing region withrespect to the thickness of a silicon nitride layer on a BPSG layer.

As shown in FIG. 22, an active region A is defined on a siliconsubstrate surface. A MOSFET is made up of a gate electrode 103, a sourceregion 104 and a drain region 105 is formed in the active region A. Thegate electrode 103 extends in the up and down (vertical) direction inFIG. 22, and forms a word line WL. A bit line BL extends in the rightand left (horizontal) direction in FIG. 22. The source region 104 isconnected to the bit line BL via a contact hole H₁. The drain region 105is connected to a fin type storage electrode 114 via a contact hole H₂.

FIGS. 21A through 21E respectively show cross sections taken along aline X-X' in FIG. 22 at important production processes of thisembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 21A, the surface of a p-type silicon substrate 101 isselectively oxidized to form a field oxide layer 102 having a thicknessof 200 nm, so as to define an active region. A gate oxide layer having athickness of 10 nm is formed on the surface of this active region bythermal oxidation, and a polysilicon layer having a thickness of 150 nmis formed on this gate oxide layer by CVD. The polysilicon layer ispatterned to form gate electrodes 103 and 103a. The gate electrode 103abelongs to a MOSFET of a memory cell that is adjacent to one side thememory cell which includes the gate electrode 3. The gate electrode isalso used in common as the word line, and a word line 103b for a memorycell that is adjacent to the other side of the memory cell whichincludes the gate electrode 103 is simultaneously formed on the fieldoxide layer 102 as the gate electrodes 103 and 103a.

The n-type source region 104 and the drain region 105 are formed inself-alignment to the gate electrode 103 by ion implantation or byinjecting ions.

An interlayer insulator layer 106 made of SiO₂ and having a thickness of100 nm is formed by CVD, and the contact hole H₁ is provided above thesource region 104. A polysilicon layer having a thickness of 50 nm and atungsten silicide (WSi) layer having a thickness of 100 nm aresuccessively formed by CVD on the entire surface including the contacthole H₁. The WSi layer and the polysilicon layer are patterned to form abit line 107 which connects to the source region 104.

As shown in FIG. 21B, a BPSG layer 108 having a thickness of 150 nm isformed on the entire substrate surface by CVD so as to cover the bitline 107, and a reflow process is then carried out. For example, theBPSG layer 108 is formed by using as material gases TEOS (tetraethyloxysilane) having a flow rate of 10 to 20 sccm, TMOP (PO(OCH₃)₄) havinga flow rate of 1 to 5 sccm, TEB (B(OC₂ H₅)₄) having a flow rate of 1 to5 sccm, and ozone having a flow rate of 500 to 2000 sccm, at a substratetemperature of 400° C., for example. In addition, the reflow process iscarried out for 15 minutes at 850° C., for example, under a nitrogenatmosphere.

Next, dichlorosilane (SiH₂ Cl₂) having a flow rate of 50 to 100 sccm andammonia (NH₃) having a flow rate of 100 to 500 sccm are used as materialgases, and a silicon nitride layer 109 is formed by CVD under asubstrate temperature of 750° to 800° C. and a pressure of 0.2 to 0.5Torr. Three kinds of silicon nitride layers 109 are prepared,respectively having thicknesses of 20 nm, 40 nm and 80 nm.

Thereafter, a silicon oxide layer 110 having a thickness of 50 nm, anamorphous silicon layer 111 having a thickness of 50 nm, and a siliconoxide layer 112 having a thickness of 50 nm are successively stacked inthis order. Each silicon oxide layer is formed by CVD using a gasmixture of SiH₄ and N₂ O as the material gas at a substrate temperatureof 750° to 850° C. and a pressure of 0.5 to 2 Torr. The amorphoussilicon layer is formed by CVD using a gas mixture of SiH₄ and PH₃ asthe material gas at a substrate temperature of 500° to 550° C. and apressure of 0.2 to 1 Torr. The amorphous silicon layer 111 is doped withphosphor (P) and is given a conductive characteristic.

The contact hole H₂ which penetrates from the silicon oxide layer 112 tothe interlayer insulator layer 106 and reaches the surface of the drainregion 105 is formed. A through hole which extends from the siliconoxide layer 112 and reaches the surface of the silicon substrate 101 isalso formed in the dicing region of the wafer. The through hole in thedicing region is used as a target mark for making the necessaryalignment at the time of the photolithography process, and has arectangular shape with a side of several tens of μm.

The contact hole H₂, the through hole and the like may be formed by aknown process including the steps of forming a resist layer on theentire substrate surface and patterning the resist layer. Moreparticularly, the resist layer is patterned by exposing the resist layerusing a reticle having holes or openings corresponding to the contacthole H₂, the through hole and the like, and developing the exposedpattern on the resist layer to form holes or openings corresponding tothe contact hole H₂, the through hole and the like in the resist layer.The reticle will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 21C, an amorphous silicon layer 113 having a thicknessof 50 nm is formed by CVD on the entire substrate surface including theinner surface of the contact hole H₂. The amorphous silicon layer 113,the silicon oxide layer 112 and the amorphous silicon layer 111 aresuccessively etched so that they remain at the peripheral portion of thecontact hole H₂, and are patterned to have the shape of the fin typestorage electrode 114 in the plan view of FIG. 22.

As shown in FIG. 21D, the etching of the silicon oxide layers 110 and112 is carried out using a HF solution. As a result, the silicon oxidelayers under the amorphous silicon layers 111 and 113 are removed,thereby forming a fin type storage electrode 114 that is made ofamorphous silicon. In this state, the silicon nitride layer 109functions as an etching stopper.

Next, a dielectric layer 115 made up of a silicon nitride layer having athickness of 5 nm and a silicon oxide layer having a thickness of 1 nmis formed on the exposed surface of the fin type storage electrode 114.The silicon nitride layer is formed by CVD using a gas mixture of SiH₂Cl₂ and NH₃ as the material gas at a substrate temperature of 600° to750° C. Thereafter, a thermal process is carried out at 800° C. under anoxygen atmosphere, so as to form the silicon oxide layer or a siliconoxide nitride layer on the surface of the silicon nitride layer. Cracksare easily generated in the silicon nitride layer 109 when this thermalprocess is carried out.

As shown in FIG. 21E, an amorphous silicon layer 116 having a thicknessof 100 nm is formed by CVD on the entire substrate surface including theexposed surface of the dielectric layer 115. The amorphous silicon layer116 is formed under conditions similar to those used when forming theamorphous silicon layers 111 and 113.

An interlayer insulator layer 117 is formed on the amorphous siliconlayer 116, and a predetermined metal wiring 118 is formed on theinterlayer insulator layer 117.

The generation of the cracks in the DRAMs which are formed as describedabove and having the silicon nitride layer 109 with the differentthicknesses were checked by a metal microscope.

FIG. 23 shows the crack generation frequency at the through hole portionof the dicing region with respect to the thickness of the siliconnitride layer 109 on the BPSG layer 108. In FIG. 23, the abscissaindicates the thickness of the silicon nitride layer 109 in nm, and theordinate indicates the crack generation frequency in %.

The cracks are not generated when the silicon nitride layer 109 has thethickness of 20 nm. The crack generation frequency is approximately 5%when the silicon nitride layer 109 has the thickness of 40 nm. Inaddition, the crack generation frequency is approximately 100% when thesilicon nitride layer 109 has the thickness of 80 nm. Therefore, it maybe regarded that the cracks will not be generated if the thickness ofthe silicon nitride layer 109 is 30 nm or less.

The silicon nitride layer 109 functions as the etching stopper when thesilicon oxide layers 110 and 112 shown in FIG. 21C are etched. For thisreason, the silicon nitride layer 109 must have a thickness that issufficient to withstand the etchant until the silicon oxide layers 110and 112 under the fin type storage electrode 114 are removed in theirentirety.

If the shape of the fin type storage electrode 114 in the plan view is arectangular shape having a short side with a length a and the etchanthas an etching rate E_(SIO) with respect to the silicon oxide layers 110and 112, an etching time T_(etch) that is required can be described bythe following formula (2).

    T.sub.etch =(a/2)/E.sub.SIO                                (2)

On the other hand, if the etchant has an etching rate E_(SIN) withrespect to the silicon nitride layer 109, a thickness t_(se) of thesilicon nitride layer 109 that is etching during the etching timeT_(etch) can be described by the following formula (3).

    t.sub.se =E.sub.SIN ·T.sub.etch                   (3)

Therefore, it is possible to derive the following formula (4) from theabove formulas (2) and (3).

    t.sub.se =(a/2)·(E.sub.SIN /E.sub.SIO)            (4)

Accordingly, it is desirable that the thickness of the silicon nitridelayer 109 is set to (a/2)·(E_(SIN) /E_(SIO)) or greater.

In the case of the diluted HF solution used in this embodiment, E_(SIO)=60 nm/min and E_(SIN) =1.5 nm/min. If a=0.7 μm, for example, thethickness of the silicon nitride layer 109 should thus be set to 8.75 nmor greater.

In this embodiment, it is assumed for the sake of convenience that theshape of the fin type storage electrode 114 in the plan view is arectangular shape. However, the shape of the fin type storage electrode114 in the plan view is not limited to the rectangular shape. Forexample, if the fin type storage electrode 114 has a parallelogram shapein the plan view, the length a simply needs to be replaced by a lengthof a perpendicular drawn from the center of the parallelogram to thelong side of the parallelogram.

Next, a description will be given of an eleventh embodiment of themethod of producing the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention, by referring to FIGS. 24 through 27. In this embodiment ofthe method, the corner portions of the through hole are smoothened.

The size of the contact hole H₂ that is formed in the process describedabove in conjunction with FIG. 21B is approximately 1 μm or less. Whenthe contact hole H₂ has such a small size, even if the pattern on thereticle is a square as shown in FIG. 24A, the pattern that is actuallyexposed on the wafer becomes rounded and becomes an approximate circleas shown in FIG. 24B. Accordingly, the corner portions of the contacthole H₂ are rounded and smoothened, thereby reducing the possibility ofthe cracks being generated.

In the process described above with reference to FIG. 21B, rectangularthrough holes having a side of approximately several tens of μm areformed in the dicing region of the wafer and within the chip,simultaneously as the formation of the contact hole H₂. These throughholes are formed as the target mark and a test pattern. The test patternis used to check whether or not the contact hole is completely etched,to make a check after the process ends or the like.

However, when the size of the through hole that is formed is severaltens of μm, the pattern on the reticle has a rectangular shape shown inFIG. 25A and the pattern that is actually exposed on the wafer also hasa rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 25B. In other words, cornerportions are also formed in the rectangular through hole that isactually exposed on the wafer. Such a corner portion causes thegeneration of the crack, and a crack C may be generated at the cornerportion as shown in FIG. 25B.

FIG. 26A shows a pattern on the reticle that smoothens the cornerportions of the pattern exposed on the wafer as shown in FIG. 26B. InFIG. 26A, a triangular cutout is provided at each corner portion of therectangular through hole on the reticle. As a result, the cornerportions of the through hole exposed on the wafer are rounded orsmoothened.

Of course, the corner portion of the rectangular through hole on thereticle may have other shapes. For example, the corner portion may havea polygonal line shape that swells out as shown in FIG. 27. In addition,the through hole need not necessarily have a rectangular shape. Thethrough hole may have a polygonal shape only having obtuse angled cornerportions, a generally polygonal shape with rounded or smoothened cornerportions or, a circular shape. In the case of the polygonal shape, it isdesirable that the polygonal shape has n corners with obtuse angles,where n≧5.

Next, a description will be given of a reticle pattern provided with thecutout portion at the corners as in the case shown in FIG. 26A, and of apattern actually exposed on the wafer, by referring to FIGS. 28 and 29.

FIG. 28A is a plan view showing a reticle pattern for making a 1/5reduction exposure. This reticle pattern on a reticle substrate 300includes 4 memory cell regions 122 in which the memory cells are formed,a peripheral circuit region 123 provided between the memory cell regions122, and a peripheral region 124 surrounding the memory cell regions 122and the peripheral circuit region 123.

Each memory cell region 122 includes patterns 125 for forming thecontact hole H₂ shown in FIG. 22, for example. A test pattern 126 isformed in the peripheral circuit region 123, and a target mark 127 isformed in the peripheral region 124.

FIG. 28B is a plan view showing the shape of the pattern 125 for formingthe contact hole H₂, for example. In this embodiment, the pattern 125has a square shape with a side L1 of 2.5 μm.

FIG. 28C is a plan view showing the shape of the check pattern 126 andthe target mark 127. In this embodiment, the test pattern 126 and thetarget mark 127 have an octagonal shape. This octagonal shape isobtained by smoothing each corner portion of a square shape with a sideL2 of 180 μm. More particularly, the corner portion of the square shapeis cut out in a shape of a right angle isosceles triangle having 2 sidesforming the right angle and respectively having a length L3 of 10 μm.

FIG. 29A is a plan view showing a pattern that is actually exposed onthe wafer using the reticle pattern shown in FIG. 28A. In FIG. 29A, chipregions 129 are periodically arranged in the up and down (vertical)direction and in the right and left (horizontal) direction, and dicingregions 132 are provided between the chip regions 129. Each chip region129 is made up of a memory cell region 130 and a peripheral circuitregion 131 respectively corresponding to the memory cell region 122 andthe peripheral circuit region 123 of the reticle pattern shown in FIG.28A.

Contact holes 135 corresponding to the patterns 125 and for formingcontact holes are formed within the memory cell region 130. A throughhole 136 for testing and corresponding to the test pattern 126 is formedwithin the peripheral circuit region 131. A through hole 137 for targetmark and corresponding to the target mark 127 is formed in the dicingregion 132.

FIG. 29B is a plan view showing the shape of the contact hole 135. Thereticle pattern has a square shape with a side L1 of 2.5 μm, but thecorresponding contact hole 135 on the wafer has a circular shape with adiameter L1' of approximately 0.5 μm.

FIG. 29C is a plan view showing the shape of the through hole 136 fortesting and the through hole 137 for target mark, which have the samesize and shape in this embodiment. In FIG. 29C, the through hole has asquare shape with a side L2' of 36 μm, and each corner portion of thesquare shape is rounded or smoothened as shown.

The present inventors conducted experiments by making the siliconnitride layer 109 shown in FIG. 21B have a thickness of 80 nm, formingthe contact and through holes using the reticle pattern shown in FIG.28A, and carrying out the processes described above in conjunction withFIGS. 21B through 21E. As a result of such experiments, it was confirmedthat no cracks are generated.

On the other hand, when no cutout was provided at each corner portion ofthe test pattern 126 and the target mark 127 shown in FIG. 28A, and eachside of the square shape forming the test pattern 126 and the targetmark 127 was set to 180 μm, it was confirmed through experiments thatthe cracks are generated at a rate of approximately 100%.

Therefore, when the corner portions of the through holes are smoothenedor rounded, it is possible to prevent the generation of the cracks evenwhen the thickness of the silicon nitride layer 109 is relatively large.

In the tenth and eleventh embodiments, the contact hole on the waferdesirably has an approximate circular shape in the plan view, and thisapproximate circular shape is contained within an imaginary squarehaving a side of 1 μm or less. On the other hand, the through hole onthe wafer desirably has a shape that contains an imaginary circle havinga diameter of 1 μm or greater in the plan view, and has inner peripheraledges with smoothened or rounded corner portions. Furthermore, thepattern on the reticle for forming the contact hole desirably has asquare shape in the plan view, and this square shape has a side of 5.0μm or less. On the other hand, the pattern on the reticle for formingthe test pattern or the target mark desirably has a shape that iscontained within an imaginary circle having a diameter of 5.0 μm orgreater in the plan view, and has inner peripheral edges with smoothenedor rounded corner portions. For example, this shape of the pattern onthe reticle for forming the test pattern or the target mark has n cornerportions with obtuse angles, where n≧5.

The present inventors produced 64-Mbit DRAMs having a memory cell sizeof 2 μm² and a chip size of 240 mm² using the tenth and eleventhembodiments of the method described above, and it was confirmed that thegeneration of the cracks can be prevented.

In the tenth and eleventh embodiments of the method, the generation ofthe cracks is prevented by controlling the thickness of the siliconnitride layer or controlling the shape of the through hole in the planview. However, the present inventors through experiments also found thatthe generation of the cracks can be suppressed by making the horizontallength of the fin that is formed at the through holes for testing andfor target mark greater than the horizontal length of the fin of the fintype electrode of the memory cell.

FIG. 30 is a cross sectional view showing the substrate in the vicinityof the through hole for testing. In FIG. 30, those parts which are thesame as those corresponding parts in FIGS. 21A through 21E aredesignated by the same reference numerals, and a description thereofwill be omitted.

In FIG. 30, the fin type electrode 114, the dielectric layer 115 and theopposing electrode 116 are formed in the periphery of the through holefor testing, by processes similar to those described above inconjunction with FIGS. 21B through 21E. In this case, the area of thethrough hole for testing at the opening is larger than that of thecontact hole H₂ shown in FIG. 21B.

A horizontal length x of the fin of the fin type electrode 114 is madegreater than the horizontal length of the fin type electrode of thememory cell. Accordingly, even when the silicon oxide layers 110 and 112are etched in their entirety at the fin type electrode part of thememory cell during the process described above in conjunction with FIG.21C, the silicon oxide layers 110 and 112 remain at the inner parts ofthe gap of the fin type electrode at the through hole for testing.

The present inventors confirmed through experiments that the generationof the cracks can be suppressed by making the horizontal length x of thefin longer. Hence, as long as the space permits, it is desirable to makethe horizontal length x of the fin at the through hole for testing aslong as possible. Similarly, it is also desirable to make the horizontallength of the fin at the through hole for target mark in the dicingregion as long as possible.

The cracks in the silicon nitride layer 109 are easily generated by thethermal process that is carried out to form the dielectric layer 115shown in FIG. 21D. It may be regarded that the generation of the cracksis suppressed by making the horizontal length x of the fin longer,because a silicon oxide layer is formed on the surface at the endportions of the silicon nitride layer 109 during this thermal process.

In the tenth and eleventh embodiments of the method described above, thesilicon nitride layer is formed on the surface of the BPSG layer and thestorage electrode of the fin type capacitor is formed on the siliconnitride layer. However, the application of the method of the presentinvention is not limited to the fin type capacitor. In other words, thetenth embodiment of the method is effective when applied to theproduction of a semiconductor device including the steps of forming asilicon nitride layer on the surface of a BPSG layer and thereaftercarrying out a thermal process at a temperature greater than or equal toa temperature at which the BPSG layer softens or melts. On the otherhand, the eleventh embodiment of the method is effective when applied tothe production of a semiconductor device including the step of forming athrough hole that penetrates a silicon nitride layer and a BPSG layer.

In the tenth and eleventh embodiments of the method described above, theBPSG layer is used to planarize the surface, and the silicon nitridelayer is formed on this BPSG layer. However, it is possible to usematerials other than BPSG, such as BSG (boron silicate glass) and PSG(phosphor silicate glass) which have low melting points. In addition, itis possible to use a silicon oxide nitride layer in place of the siliconnitride layer, because stress is similarly generated at the interface ofthe silicon oxide nitride layer and the BPSG layer or the like.

Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, butvarious variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a semiconductor devicecomprising the steps of:(a) preparing a substrate having a semiconductorelement formed in a region of a surface of the substrate; (b) forming afirst layer on the substrate, said first layer being made of siliconoxide including at least one of boron and phosphorus; (c) forming asecond layer on a surface of the first layer, said second layer beingmade of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon nitrideand silicon oxide nitride; (d) coating a resist layer on the entiresurface of the substrate; (e) disposing on said resist a reticle, havinga first opening, having a polygonal shape having n corners, respectivelyhaving obtuse angles, where n is a natural number satisfying n≧5,through which a portion of said resist is exposed;(e-1) developing saidportion of said resist layer exposed through said first opening so as toform a second opening in the resist layer whereby exposing a portion ofsaid second layer; and (f) etching the second and first layers via thesecond opening.
 2. The method of producing the semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 1, which further comprises, after said step (c) andprior to said step (d), the step of:(g) forming a third layer on thesecond layer, said third layer having an etching resistance differentfrom that of the second layer, andalso etching the third layer via thesecond opening during said step (f).
 3. The method of producing thesemiconductor device as claimed in claim 2, wherein:said step (a)prepares a substrate having a test pattern region formed in a portion ofthe substrate, and said step (e-1) forms the second opening in the testpattern region on the surface of the substrate.
 4. The method ofproducing the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 3, wherein:saidstep (e-1) forms at least a third opening simultaneously as the formingof second opening, said step (f) etches the third, second and firstlayers via the third opening to form a contact hole, and furthercomprising the steps of:(h) after said step (f), forming a firstconductor layer on an entire surface of the semiconductor deviceincluding an inner surface of the contact hole, said first conductorlayer having an etching resistance different from that of the thirdlayer; (i) patterning the first conductor layer so that the firstconductor layer remains on the inner surface of the contact hole and ina region in a vicinity of an opening of the contact hole; and (j)etching the third layer to expose a bottom surface of the firstconductor layer.
 5. The method of producing the semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 4, which further comprises, after said step (g) andprior to said step (d), the steps of:(k) alternately stacking a secondconductor layer and a fourth layer on the third layer to form a stackedstructure having at least two layers, said second conductor layer havingan etching resistance different from that of the third layer, saidfourth layer having an etching resistance that is approximately the sameas that of the third layer, said step (f) forming the contact hole thatpenetrates the stacked structure; and (1) after said step (i),patterning the stacked structure to a shape that is approximately thesame as that of the first conductor layer, said step (j) etching thefourth layer simultaneously as the third layer and exposing bottomsurfaces of the first and second conductor layers.
 6. The method ofproducing the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 5, wherein saidthird and fourth layers are respectively made of silicon oxide.
 7. Themethod of producing the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4,which further comprises, after said step (j), the steps of:(k) forming adielectric layer on exposed surfaces of the first and second conductorlayers; and (1) forming a third conductor layer on the entire surface ofthe semiconductor device including a surface of the dielectric layer. 8.The method of producing the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 7,wherein:said semiconductor element is made up of a MOSFET having aninsulated gate electrode and source and drain regions formed on bothsides of the insulated gate electrode, and said step (f) forms thecontact hole so as to expose a surface of one of the source and drainregions.
 9. The method of producing the semiconductor device as claimedin claim 4, wherein said step (e) uses a reticle having a fourth openinghaving a rectangular shape for forming the third opening.
 10. The methodof producing the semiconductor device as claimed in claim 2, whichfurther comprises, after said step (f), the step of:(h) etching thethird layer under conditions which will not completely remove saidsecond layer,wherein, prior to said step (h), said second layer has athickness greater than the amount of the thickness of the second layeretched in said step (h) but less than 30 nm.
 11. The method of producingthe semiconductor device as claimed in claim 4, wherein:said step (i)patterns the first conductor layer to a parallelogram shape having theopening of the contact hole at approximately a center of theparallelogram, said step (j) etches the third layer by an amountcorresponding to a length of a perpendicular drawn from the center ofthe parallelogram to a longer side of the parallelogram, and said step(c) forms the second layer to a thickness greater than the amount of thethickness of the second layer removed by said etching in said step (j)but less than 30 nm.